Review and Giveaway: Ben and Holly DVD, The Elf Games

Big congratulations to @joanna_kow, @WeeWillieWilkie and @Him_me_three you are the lucky winners of a Ben and Holly DVD each.  Please email or DM me your postal details and I'll pass these on to the PR.  Cheers Mich x

I have to confess that we all like Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom in this house, JJ might try and pretend that at age 8 he is too old but when it comes on Nick Jnr. you will find he plonks himself down and sits there quietly. Of course my girls are both still mesmerised by it at nearly 5 years, they both consider themselves to be Princesses like Holly after all.

As Miss M is such a live wire we have developed a routine where the girls sit on the sofa either side of me for a half hour cuddle before bed and Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom features most days in our slow-down time.

There are some kids TV programs that I really can not deal with but I have to confess that I do enjoy this and that is probably down to Nanny Plum, her humour is decidedly adult and whilst this sometimes gets me into trouble, like when Miss M called an old male driver a 'silly old fool' as that is what Nanny Plum calls the Wise Old Elf I do enjoy it. I always find the programes to be well written and engaging and I happen to prefer them to Peppa Pig which is by the same writers.

As my girls are such fans I have probably seen every episode made and could even perhaps act them out, so I was a little surprised to find that I had already seen all the episodes on this new DVD, which is due to be released on 14th May.  I mistakenly thought it would be new material rather than the episodes that had been shown on TV.  Don't get me wrong they are all good episodes and fully worth watching but this was just a disappointment to me.  Luckily it did not phase my girls as they are happy to watch the same thing more than once, repetition is good for learning after all.

This DVD contains the following episodes -
The Elf Games
Dinner Party
Cows
The Toy Robot
Big Bad Barry
King Thistle's Birthday
The Wand Factory
Daisy and Poppey's Pet
The Elf Rocket
Picnic on the Moon

You can pre-order a copy of this DVD on Amazon for £7.49 with free delivery.

Certificate - Universal

Would you like to win 1 of 3 copies?

To enter-

• Mandatory - Leave a comment and let me know how to contact you if you are the lucky winner.
• Optional - Tweet 'I'm in to #win 1 of 3 Ben and Holly DVD's with @MichelleTwinMum http://bit.ly/JV1TCk #giveaway #comp' and leave me a comment to say you have done so.

Terms and Conditions -

• The winner will be chosen at random
• Open to UK and Ireland residents only
• Giveaway closes at 12 noon on Thursday 24th May 2012
• The winner will be contacted within 5 working days of the competition closing
• The winner needs to contact me within a week of my announcing the winner or I will draw again
• The prize is not transferable and there is no cash alternative
• The DVD will be sent direct from the PR agency.

Disclaimer:  We received a review copy of this DVD for the purposes of the review. I was not instructed what to write and I remain honest.

Have you seen Tickety Toc on Nick Jr?

This Easter I found myself a lucky girl when a lovely Green and Blacks Easter egg hamper arrived from Nick Jr and along with it was a DVD with some Easter episodes of some of their programmes. It goes without syaing that the girls enjoyed Dora the Explorer and Team Umizoomi, they have been watching those for some time.

On this DVD was 2 episodes of Tickety Toc, a programme I have not heard of before, so I thought I would have a watch with the girls.  They were glued to the TV and loved it, that might have had something to do with the fact that it features twins, Tommy and Tallulah. This new programme launches on Nick Jr on 23rd April at 8.15am and will show every morning in April at that time.

The programme was very good as it is fun and engaging and features slapstick humour but there are also educational messages in it too.  It features learning about time in a light way which the young children can relate to. Each action-packed adventure challenges Tommy and Tallulah to save the day, return life to normal and keep the clock ticking!

Take a look, I am sure your pre-scooler will love this new programme. Watch a little sneak preview clip over on Nick Jr.

Disclaimer:  I received this hamper and DVD as a gift, I was not instructed to write anything.

Review & Giveaway: Humf & The Fluffy Thing DVD

OK, I'm about to make a big revelation here and you must not laugh at me. Ready?

I love Humf, it is such a beautiful and simple program for pre-school kids. Are you laughing yet?  Stop it!  There is nothing wrong with a bit of kids TV or in this case DVD.  I really do not watch much TV with the kids so I am unsure quite why I have seen so much Humf, I think it is to do with the time of evening that it is shown on Nick Junior.  Quite often we get the girls all showered ready for bed and then snuggle up on the sofa together to watch something calm and age appropriate and many times Humf is the chosen program.  My near 8 year old JJ also really enjoys it but I am sure he would not readily admit that to his mates!

The thing I love about Humf is that it is a very innocent program, there is no hidden innuendo. Humf and his friends Loon (don't you just love that name for a pink feathery bird?) and Wallace (green friendly monster type thing if you were wondering) are all good little kids and never do I have to feel as if I should be censoring my children's viewing.  Even the youngest of children could happily watch this program without ever being scared or inappropriately influenced.  We all know that kids learn what they live and my Miss M shouting 'You silly old fool' out the car window to someone was proof that Nanny Plum from Ben and Holly can sure say some inappropriate things!

My girls (just 4 year old twins) were made up when they found out they were the chief reviewers in our house for the new DVD (released today) Humf and the Fluffy Thing.  The DVD contains 10 episodes of about 7 minutes each and they are all equally as entertaining and easy to view. The added bonus is that for the RRP of £9.99 you also get a bonus DVD with another 6 eposides for free.  Bargain, hey? but don't think it stops there as I have spotted that you can buy a new copy on Amazon at the moment for just £6.20. A fantastic little gift for Christmas I say.

Humf is narrated by Caroline Quentin and she does it really well, taking us through the day to day life of 3 year old Humf and his view of the world. Humf normally seems to be described as a purple fluffy thing, he is super cute and cuddly as are all the characters in the show. Normal daily activities such as a trip to the shops or the park become a fun adventure as you discover things through the eyes of a pre-schooler.

I asked the girls how they voted for Humf and they both agreed that it should get top marks 5/5

So would you like to win a copy of Humf and the Furry Thing DVD?

• Mandatory - Follow my blog on google friends connect (in the sidebar on the right) and leave a comment to say you have done so, let me know how I can contact you - twitter ID or email.
• Additional entry - tweet 'I want to #win a Humf DVD in @michelletwinmum's #giveaway #competition http://bit.ly/n3l9Zs'

 Terms and Conditions of Entry:

• The winner will be chosen at random
• Open to UK and Ireland residents only
• Giveaway closes at 12 noon on Wednesday 21st September 2011
• The winner will be contacted within 3 working days of the competition closing
• The winner needs to contact me within a week of my announcing the winner or I will draw again
• The prize is not transferable and there is no cash alternative
• The DVD will be sent direct from the PR agency 

Disclosure:  I received this DVD free of charge for the purposes of this review.  I was not instructed what to write and I remain honest.